- UCAS course code
- B9R9
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Biomedical Sciences with a Modern Language
Duration: 48 Months. [Full-Time]
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: B9R9 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Study with a language
Accredited course
- Typical A-level offer: AAA-AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB-ABB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36-35 points overall with 6, 6, 6 to 6, 6, 5 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £34,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Additional expenses
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Course unit details:
Pharmacology RSM
| Unit code | BIOL20932 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 10 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This Research Skills Module is designed to develop your experimental design, report writing and practical skills. You will investigate a range of topics including drug toxicity testing, anaesthesia, computer based molecular modelling and the ethical issues surrounding drug testing on human volunteers.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drugs: From Molecules to Man | BIOL10822 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
| Clinical Drug Development | BIOL21302 | Co-Requisite | Compulsory |
BIOL20932 Co-requisite is BIOL21302
Aims
To provide practical experience of research methods used in the discovery of drugs, from initial ideas through to full clinical use in man.
Learning outcomes
- Understand methods used in drug discovery and development
- Improve technical skills
- Find and understand information
- Analyse complex data sets
- Write scientific reports
Syllabus
May include “wet lab” versions or simulations of
Radioligand binding assay: competition and saturation binding assays
Computer methods for drug discovery: prediction of drug potency using molecular modelling software.
Practical data analysis: graphing and analysing experimental data using GraphPad Prism software.
Schild analysis: students will study the interaction of methacholine and atropine analogues in rat ileum.
Human volunteer practicals e.g. paracetamol metabolism
Animal tissue practicals such as a dissection
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Extensive data handling and analysis required to write up practicals
- Group/team working
- All practicals are done in groups; students also complete a group-based results report
- Problem solving
- Extensive data handling and analysis required to write up practicals
- Research
- Research on muscarinic receptors as drug targets is required for the full practical report.Group based oral and written presentations on novel drugs
- Written communication
- Full Group based oral and written presentations on novel drugs, practical report written in the style of a research papers.
- Other
- Practical lab skills. Discipline specific laboratory skills, knowledge of drug discovery strategies
Assessment methods
| Method | Weight |
|---|---|
| Other | 10% |
| Report | 40% |
| Project output (not diss/n) | 30% |
| Set exercise | 20% |
- Pre-RSM e-assessments mcqs and short note questions (10%)
- Short note questions (30%)
- Full practical write-up (40%)
- Group based results report (incl peer assessment) 20%)
RSM Attendance guidelines.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled RSM sessions on time (N.B. Health and safety information will be delivered at the start of practical sessions, and students who are not present at the start may be asked to leave the lab). Students who arrive late will be marked as absent for that session. Failure to attend a session (an unauthorised absence) will result in a 10% (i.e. 10 mark) penalty being applied to the overall RSM mark (i.e. a student obtaining a mark of 65% overall will instead receive a mark of 55%). Furthermore, any students who miss a practical session will not receive a mark for any associated post-lab assessment (N.B. this mark will be removed before calculating the average post-lab mark to avoid a student being penalised twice).Further absences will result in further penalties (i.e. 2 absences = a penalty of 20% (as described above)).
Due to the use of animal tissues, students are also required to complete Health Screening by the University Occupational Health Service. Not completing screening will result in exclusion and unauthorised absence from the relevant practicals and mark penalties as detailed above.
Feedback methods
Feedback will be provided via annotated practical write-ups and verbal advice on practical techniques during classes.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Practical classes & workshops | 43 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 57 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Rob Wykes | Unit coordinator |